Enjoy California’s Best Grapes in Denier-Handal Wine

It’s now possible to enjoy the beautiful flavors of California wines without expensive plane tickets or price tags.

Denier-Handal, an award-winning winery and family-run operation, is sharing its bold reds and crisp rosés with consumers across the country directly from their vineyards. Wine lovers almost everywhere can now support the small boutique winery and the lovely wines they produce without paying premium costs at stores or high-end shops.

Dick Handal & Lisa Denier first came to California to grow premium grapes and make delicate and delicious wines to share with the world.

What makes this small-batch wine special, distributed under a label that bears both their names, is the grapes and the fabulous terroir. Grown in coveted Dry Creek Valley, about 80 miles north of San Francisco, the terroir in this valley produces outstanding fruit for their wines. One of the smallest American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) in size, Dry Creek Valley has the ideal blend of geography, soil and climate to grow succulent grapes. “Nature gives us the best grapes and great weather,” said Handal. “We’re blessed by being in the Dry Creek Valley. The terroir [growing environment] is one of the best in world.”

Lisa Denier and Dick Handal brought their love for grape growing and winemaking after living in Quito, Ecuador, for 38 years, where they own and operate Chaupi Estancia Winery. Chaupi Estancia, still in operation today, is an experimental vineyard operation that studies which grape varieties can be produced at high altitude on the Equator. Upon retiring, Lisa and Dick came to Sonoma County, where they have operated two vineyards, one in Dry Creek Valley and the other in Alexander Valley.

The climate in Dry Creek Valley is similar to France’s famous Boudreaux region, which experiences warm days and cool nights during the summer growing season. The long days produce big fruits and incredibly complex wines.

Dry Creek Valley’s premium grapes – grown with love, dedication and hard work – are also sold to some of the more important wineries in Sonoma County.

Denier-Handal’s red wines are fruit-forward, with aromas of plum, rich black cherries, vibrant acidity and chewy tannins, mouth-coating, tooth-staining… Exposed to air, the structure of tannin and acid develop, supporting the fruit long into the finish. These wines age well for over a decade.

One of their special wines is Sagrantino, which they started making after falling in love with this grape from Italy’s Umbria region. It is a lush, fruity wine that pairs well with Italian food or almost any hearty meal.

All of the Denier-Handal wines are now available online, so wine lovers in most states can try a bottle or two without searching local wine shops or paying premium prices.

“We’re small growers living in Sonoma County, and we want to sell to people in Missouri and everywhere,” Handal said. “Selling online directly to consumers is how we can do it.”

Denier-Handal makes only about a thousand cases of their boutique wines, so they can focus on growing grapes and making wine to be proud of every day. Enjoy the flavors of Wine Country from the comfort of your own couch by visiting Denier-Handal’s website.

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